The Freight 50: All-cargo carriers reign in 2020

After a fairly underwhelming 2019 for the world’s largest cargo carriers, 2020 was a year of lofty peaks in the ranking for some airlines — and tumbles for others. Unsurprisingly, given demand and capacity trends since the COVID-19 pandemic began early in 2020, the operating market overwhelmingly favored all-cargo carriers. Many airlines, including combination carriers and operators with only passenger aircraft in their fleets, experienced the initial shock of flight groundings in April 2020. Some carriers responded quickly, as can be seen in this year’s ranking. They reassigned passenger aircraft for cargo-only operations — in some cases, reconfiguring aircraft to allow for cargo loading on the main deck, either in seats no longer needed for passenger service or by removing seats altogether . Operating passenger freighters gave combination carriers a boost in their 2020 performance, but the loss of bellyspace capacity from regular passenger networks clearly pinched all but a select few. On the other hand, the increase in freighter utilization, along with the demand for personal protective equipment and surge in cross-border e-commerce, has all-cargo carriers ruling the 2020 rankings. For the second year in a row, we are pleased to provide a fully sortable Freight 50 ranking chart. The sort options allow you to view carrier information by 2020 ranking, 2019 ranking, international, domestic and total freight tonne kilometers (FTKs), and year-over-year change by both FTKs and percentage. As with last year’s Freight 50, following the publication of this feature and the accompanying ranking, Air Cargo World will feature additional in-depth reporting on the top 50 carriers throughout the month of August, giving more insight into how carriers are faring after adjusting to the pandemic environment. Now, for an overview of the major highs and lows for 2020’s top cargo carriers. Elite carriers in 2020 FedEx not only continued its reign atop the carrier rankings, but reversed the small YoY traffic drop from 2019. The express operators have enjoyed strong quarterly performances throughout the pandemic, helped along by their extensive freighter networks and the e-commerce surge that occurred when lockdowns around the world pushed shoppers to online platforms. FedEx’s domestic and international traffic rose, for a total YoY traffic increase of 13%. Total traffic of 19.85 billion freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) in 2020 secured FedEx’s No. 1 spot in the 2020 Freight 50. While not reaching the traffic levels of FedEx, UPS rose in the rankings for 2020 from No. 3 to No. 2. UPS has embraced a strategy of “better, not bigger” performance in recent years, so that instead of targeting volume or traffic growth, the express operator is seeking to improve its margins for stronger financial performance. In 2020, better was also bigger for UPS, though, as the integrator nabbed the No. 2 spot from Qatar Airways with a 12% YoY in cargo traffic to 14.37 billion FTKs. Other carriers among the top five fared less well. However, Qatar Airways’ sizeable freighter fleet — the largest of any combination carrier, with four A330-200Fs, two 747-8Fs, and 16 777Fs — and its substantial network of scheduled and charter passenger freighter operations helped it achieve a 5% YoY increase in cargo traffic and secure the No. 3 spot. Meanwhile, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings’ three airlines — Atlas Air, Southern Air and Polar Air Cargo — reported a traffic reduction of 8% YoY and held on to its No. 4 ranking. Among the top five, combination carrier Emirates kept the No. 5 ranking but reported the largest traffic decline at 21%. Notable improvements elsewhere on the list highlight the strength of freighters in the pandemic environment. Cargolux rose three places to No. 6, with a 10% YoY increase in traffic, thanks to its fleet of 747 freighters. Cargo airline group Silk Way rose seven places to No. 26 with a 52% improvement in traffic, and Nippon Cargo Airlines rose five places to No. 29, thanks to 29% YoY growth in FTKs. Explore the complete ranking through the link below. https://aircargoworld.com/freight-50-for-2021/

The Freight 50: All-cargo carriers reign in 2020

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